Process of concentrating ores.



-' ent in the ore bears to the entire amount of thegangue ;--and theslimedininerals should not exceed gungue.

UNITED STATES re rnnrorrron 41.2mm L. rennnenm, or TUCSON,-

GBEENWELL, or

PROCESS OF CONQII JIITRATING OBITS.

Specification of Letters'l'atent.

ARIZONA, Assmnon or ONE-HALF 'ro HENRY NOGALES, ARIZONA.

Iaten ted Aug. 21,=191'7.

No Drawing. Application filed October 10, 1913, Serial No. 794,392." Renewed February 2, 1917. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. Pennnoum, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tucson, in the county of Piina and State of Ariz., have invented a certain new and useful lxn n'ovcmentin Processes of Concentrating Ores of which the following is a full, cleor ,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a process of con centruting ores and has for its object the re cuvery of a larger amount of heavy or valuable minerals than is possible with the processes that are now generally practised.

As is well known, the present practice, es pecially in treating low grade copper ores and lead and zinc ores, is to crush wet; that is to say, with the admixture of a large proportion of water; such crushing being usually accomplished by means ofstamps, llfliel which the'pulp is passed over jigs and con; centration tables of various patterns. This crushing with a "large proportion of water (Whether the crushing 'is' accomplished by hw stamps or by any of the various grinding mills) results in reducing a large amount of the valuable mineral being treated to an undesirable degree of 'dering'j it extremely difficult, if not commercially impossible, of recovery; this is especially so Where the metallic minerals are much more soft and brittlethan the gangue.

As is we'll'lmown, when the ore is crushed dry (as by means of rolls or other dry crushing machines) a much smaller proportion of fines is produced; in' fact, when the dry crushing isproperly conducted, the amount ofeny given size of the articular metallic mineral in the ore should bear the same roportion to the. angue of thatsize that t eentire amount 0% such mineral presthis proportion to the slimed However, asthe'process of ore'concentration is usually practised (and principally because of loss of values equals,- and I frequently exceeds, 30% of-thetotslveluescontain in the original ore, and this loss is irretrievable.

the crushed ore fineness, renthesliming action) in the .best of thelerge mills now in operatiomthe by means of the usual c'rushers' then separated into variouspredetermined sizes, reserving for finest size-usually varying from 100 to 200 mesh. All sizes otherthmrthe aforesaid finest size are combined into -.tw oor more mixtures, the proportionsof the various sizes ineazl'h-mixture being different from the proportions in whichlihese sizes existed in. before separation into such z s and the pro iortions of the sizes in one 111i xture being dillcrent from the proportions of the sizes in the other mixture. These mixtures thus formed are passed over or through dry jigs or concentration tables,

special treatment the whereby a. certain proportion of the heavy minerals -or values will be saved.-usually from 60 to 80%. After the ore has thus been passed once or twice through the dry concentrators; the values reniuining,:while difficult of recovery by any dry machine, are particularly amenable to treatment by any of the wet concentrating devices; and, it such are be now admixed with the,pr0per proportion of water and passed overs wet table or other concentrator,

result. i

' At the endof this operation, .precticall' ell of the values in should not amount to over 15% of the ore) being still untreated. These shines will usually assay several times-as much original orennd may be smelted, lixivieted, or reserved for treatment by some other process. Thus, instead of 30%01' more of the value be'm'g irretrievably lost, practically none is lost,-'-a larger amount being directly saved in a marketable forth and the rest stored for suitable treatmengerld all at a less operating cost than is possible by a practically i perfect recovery of the contained values will] the meterielttreated wi l have been recovered, only theislimes (which n as the i the practice 'of processes heretofore pram tised.

' A great udvanta.

hereinbeiore isthet each seems to'act better go in combining the 'dry and wet processes in themanner indicated or more readily on certain sizes'or conditions i of the minerals than the other, and while the dry concentrates first obtained each system are taken advantage of;

, iereof high grade,*the wet concentrates eXt re covered are also of goodgrede wit out re treatment; thus the special advantages of The slimes (of which only the veryv n fe j s they may methods heretofore m use, a

are. reserred'and which are, impossible of concentration whether wet or dry and which intcrfercfwith the. other sizes with which be combined] by the very reason of their fineness are in the host. possible eondition for recovery by solution or by smelt in after ln-iquebing.

3 the practice of able to realize repealmily nfthemiueral present in the gangue, as, in the treatment of the same ores by recovery of (17% to 75% was thehest that eouid be realized.

llavingrthns described my iureutiorn what I claim 1si 1. The pr cess of concentrating ore which consists in I rim-crushin; the ore, removing therefrom the finest sizes. forming the re maining sizes into mixtures containing varying sizes,';} subjectin" such mixtures to dry my method, I have been a saving oi 92ft concentration, and t ereafter subjecting such mixtures't-o weteomzentration.

2. 'lheproce s of concentrating o re which 7 consists in dry-crushing the ore, removing therefroinfthe finest sizes, forming, the re- 1 maining sizes into a mixture of varying, such mixture to dry conoentrution and thereafter subjecting such n'iixture towet concentration. -3. The process ofeoncentrating ore which consists iafdryerushing the ore, separating the crushed ore into various predetermine sizes, combinin all but the V-finestsizes into subjecting such mixsizes, suhjecting tures t dry concentrutiom thereafter subjecting the remaining values in such-mixtures to wet-coneentration, and separately recovering the mineral from the finest sizes.

4. The process of concentratingore which consists in dry-crushing the ore, separating the same intovarious predetermined sizes emnbiuingali but the finest sizes into two or more mixtures. the proportions of the sizes in each mixture diii'ering from the proportions in which said sizes existed in the are as crashed and before separating and the 1HOPU1'L1OI1S of the -sizes of one mixture ditfering from the proportions of lhe'sizes m the other mifituret subjecting such mixtures to dry concentration. thereafter subjecting the mixtures to wet com-entration, and separately recovering the mineral from the liuest sites.

5. The process of eom-entrating ore which consists in dry-crushing the ore, separating the same into various predetermined sizes, mixin i together the various sizes with the. exception of thefiiicst size, subjecting such mixture to dry concentration, thereafter subjecting 'the 'lixtnre to wet. concentration,

and separatelyrecovering the mineral from the. finest size.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto ai'hx my signature. in the. presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED L. PELLEGRIN.

Witnesses Geo. P. Mme, Lms L. PELLEGRIN. 

